James h



(No Model.)

J. H. CRAWFORD.

RACK.

No. 473,825. Patented Apr. 26, 1892.

WITH/E8858 L.

A T TOR/11E Y5 UNITED STATES PATENT Enron.

JAMES H. CRAWVFORD,;OF AFTON, IOVA.

RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,825, dated April 26, 1892.

Application filed May 6, 1891. Serial No. 391.781. (No model.)

To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs H. CRAWFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Afton, in the county of Union and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Racks for Holding Rolled Goods, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention aims to provide an improved rack for holding rolled goods, such as wirenettlng, carpets, roll-paper, &c.; and with this object in View it consists in certain novel features of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as will be hereinafter first fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a rack constructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig.2 is a similar vlew of one of the brackets and the parts immediately contiguous thereto on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a different form of bracket.

11 carrying out my invention I employ a base A of any suitable material and of any preferred size or form. In racks of large size I will mount this base on casters B, as shown 1n the drawings; but the casters are not es-- sential and may be emitted at will. On the base I erect the standards 0, which are arranged in two pairs, the rear pair being vertical and the front pair being inclined upward and rearward to the rear pair and meeting the same at their upper ends. The upper ends of the several standards are connected and covered by a shelf D, which serves to prevent their spreading and may be utilized to hold ornaments or articles for sale. The spreading of the standards is further prevented by means of the braces E, as will be readily understood upon reference to the drawings.

To the outer sides of the standards I secure the supporting arms or brackets F, which are arranged in pairs and project beyond the front inclined standards. In the upper edges of these supporting arms or brackets I form the concave recesses G, in which I secure the open bearings H, and rollers I, which extend between the supporting arms or brackets, are journaled in these bearings by means of trunnions J at their ends engaging the same. If so desired, the bracket shown .in Fig. 3 may be employed instead of that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This bracket consists of a casting secured to the front of the standard and having a forwardly-projecting arm forming an arc of a circle, provided on its upper side with open bearings for the trunnions or journals of the supportingrollers I.

- To the inner sides of the front standards above the supporting-arms I secure the springarms K, which extend downward and forward to a point near the front rollers I and have a presser-roller L journaledin their free ends.

I have shown at M a knife secured to and extending between the supporting-arms just below the supporting-rollers I, which is adapted to out the paper into the desired lengths when the rack is employed to hold roll-paper. It will be understood, however, that this knife is not essential to the successful use of the rack, and its omission would not involve a departure from my invention.

In practice the roll of wire-netting, carpet, cloth, or other goods to be held by the rack is placed upon the curved bed presented by the supporting-rollers I and under thepresserroller, as shown in Fig. 1. The presser-roller will then bear upon the roll of goods and prevent it from being drawn off the supportingrollers as it is unrolled to be sold. The roll of goods will be prevented from passingbackward by the standards and by the concave arrangement of the supporting-rollers I, and as the said supporting-rollers extend entirely across the front of the rack between. the supporting arms or brackets I am enabled to place goods of any width upon the rack with out necessitating any adjustment of any of the parts. The advantages of projecting the brackets forwardly from the standards and securing the supporting-rollers thereon, as described, lies in the fact that by this construction I am enabled to place upon said supporting-rollers rolls of goods of greater length than the supporting-rollers. The roll is placed on the supporting-rollers so that its free end will be at the bottom and front, and consequently as the goods are sold they may be readily drawn off without handling the roll at all, the end being drawn out until the desired length has been unrolled, when it may be cut off by being pressed downward on the knife or by any other preferred means. As the roll becomes smaller the spring-arms K carry the presser-rollers downward, so as to maintain the pressure on the roll of goods and prevent it from being drawn from the rack.

My improved rack is very simple in its construction and its use will effect a great economy of room, as it will hold a number of rolls in a very compact form and in such a .position that they may be used very easily and readily without being handled at all. I thus effect a saving of time and labor. The rack may be built in large sizes and placed against the wall of the store-room, so as to form a substitute for the ordinary shelving, and it may be made in small sizes for use upon the counter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is- I 1. In a show-rack, the combination of the base, the standards erected thereon and suitably braced, arms F, projecting beyond the front standards and having formed in their upper edges concaved recesses G, open bearings H, secured in said recesses, and rollers I, journaled in the open bearings H and extending between the supporting-arms, whereby said rollers will be arranged in a concave arc and will accommodate rolls of material shorter or longer than therollers,substantially as described.

2. The combination of the supportingframe, arms F, projecting forwardly therefrom and each having a concave recess in the upper edge of its forward end, bearings secured in said recesses, rollers I, extending between said arms and journaled in said bearings and JAMES H. CRAWFORD. \Vitnesses:

F. K. BERRY, J. K. HUMPHRY. 

